Arms, fake currency, Army fatigues seized Hazi had contested the Lok Sabha elections against Mehbooba Mufti as an Independent candidate

NEW DELHI:
Four men, allegedly working as conduits for terrorist outfits in Kashmir at the behest of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), have been arrested by the Delhi police. Police recovered arms, ammunition, fake currency, a sketch of the Palam Air Force Station and Army combat fatigues from them.

Acting on a tip-off, a Special Staff team, comprising Sub-Inspectors Raj Kumar and Ravinder Tyagi, laid a trap on the National Highway 8 near Rajokri here on Friday. The suspects came there around midnight in a car. They dodged the police but were intercepted after a chase and an exchange of fire. Apart from arms and ammunition, two cheques worth Rs. 9.5 lakhs each were also recovered from them.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-West) Ravindra Yadav said that Military Intelligence had alerted them about Saqib and Hazi, who had set up base here and were passing on money and information to the terrorist outfits such as Islamic Front, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Al Umar.

According to police, Saqib, a former militant of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, had joined the Islamic Front of Bilal Baig in 2002. He had collected Rs. 8 lakhs and Rs. 14 lakhs for Baig from a Chandni Chowk shop here. He visited Nepal for expanding the network and had returned on June 23.

Saqib came into contact with Hazi after he suffered business losses in 2000. Hazi had promised him handsome returns if he pushed fake currency into the market.

Interestingly, Hazi, who is highly-educated, came into contact with terrorists while "doing duty" for security forces. They would call him to various places to act as witness during search and seizure operations. He also provided information about terrorists to the security forces. When the terrorists came to know of this, they forced him to pass on information about the security forces.

Subsequently, Hazi, who had been booked earlier in a cheating case, was provided with personal security and government accommodation. He had contested the last Lok Sabha elections against Mehbooba Mufti as an Independent candidate.

Police said that an ISI officer, Zamil, used to handle him. Basir, who had cheated people to the tune of Rs. 80 lakhs, met Hazi in 2000. Basir and Saqib agreed to provide sensitive information to Hazi, who passed it on to his handlers.